Page 36 of Just Let Go

Not that he minded the internal turbulence. It kept him on his toes. It kept things interesting, including his skiing. It’s why his coaches didn’t love coaching him, why they called him reckless and unteachable. He had too much going on inside, and going as hard and fast and messy as he could was the only way to silence those demons.

But those were also not thoughts he wanted to dwell on.

Hazel’s Kitchen, sandwiched between so many other brightly painted shops with striped awnings, came into view. He should feel like a complete jerk every time he passed this place, but somehow he didn’t. It was like the people of Harbor Pointe were intent on bringing him into their fold, as if he could ever fit in a place like this. Sweet of them to try, though, he supposed.

Most of them tried, anyway. There was still that sheriff’s daughter.

He’d gotten a kick out of making Quinn squirm the night before at that winter festival meeting—just seeing him join her circle had caused her face to turn red. It was possible that amused him a little more than it should’ve.

Hazel’s in the morning, at least as far as he could tell on his fourth day in town, was busy and bustling. While he didn’t know Betsy, it was obvious that she was well loved here.

As soon as she saw him, she beelined his way, her face almost as wild as her hair. “You’re early.”

“Thought I’d get a head start on the day,” Grady said.

Betsy grinned. “Follow me.” When they reached the table near the back of the diner, she poured him a cup of coffee. “What do you want this morning?”

Grady handed her the menu. “Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and the coffee.”

“You got it.” She jotted his order down on her pad of paper and was gone.

Grady’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was Pete. About time. While his manager made him think this whole situation was hopeless, Grady knew better. Everyone—even a small-town judge—had a price.

“Tell me you’ve got good news,” he said after clicking on the phone.

There was silence on the other end.

“Pete?”

“I’m afraid it’s not good news, Grady.”

Grady let out a heavy sigh. “I’m stuck here, then?”

“It’s not about that.” Pete sounded tired. He paused for several seconds.

“Just tell me.”

“It’s Bowman.”

“What about Bowman?”

He’d been the face of Bowman Skis since he first came on the scene. They’d wanted someone who could energize alpine skiing, and they liked Grady’s no-nonsense approach to the sport.“You don’t mess around, Benson. You just get out there and do your thing.”

It was the same trait so many coaches had tried to “fix” over the years. And here he had landed a huge endorsement deal because he’d rocked the boat a little and ignored all that advice.

Pete had gone quiet again.

“Pete, hurry up and tell me.”

“They dropped you.”

Grady’s heart sank. “They what?”

“Your contract was up two weeks ago,” Pete said.

“Right, we were waiting on the paperwork.”

“Turns out there is no paperwork. They’re going to sign Matthew Phillips.”

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